Lamp-closure fastener



July 14, 1925. 1,546,087

E. A. KUEN LAMP CLOSURE FASTENER Filed Feb. 27, 1925 Patented July 14, 1925.

" ,UNITED STATES 1,54aes7 JPAT N-r OFFICE.

EUGENE A. KUEN, or cINcINNAT oHIo, ASSIGNOR TO THE THos. J. consonant LAMP 00., or oruo nna'rr, onto, a CORPORATION or OHIO.

LAMP-CLOSURE FASTENER.

Application filed February 27, 1925. Serial No. 12,156.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE A. KUEN, a

citizen of the United States of America,

residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented 745,021, but has for an object to. produce an improvement thereon, in which greater ease in the closure fastening and unfastening operation is attained than heretofore, in which less distortingstrain is imposed on the closure during such fastening and unfastening operations, and in which the assembling of the fastener with the other elements of the lamp is accomplished with a minimum amount of trouble and labor expenditure. p I

These and other objects are attained in the invention described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a, lamp equipped with my improved fastener.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmental perspec tive view of a portion of the lamp equipped with my invention. v

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmental sectional elevational view of a portion of. a lamp equipped with my invention, for purposes of disclosing the operation of my invention.

In the disclosure of the invention a lamp 7 body f of the usual pattern is employed,

with a reflector 5 contained therein, the body and reflector being closed by the closure 6 which consists of a rim 7 and a closure glass 8. In order to secure the rim against displacement I have provided the upper fastener 9 and the lower fastener 10, the former embodying the novel features of the invention disclosed herein, while the latter is but exemplary of any fastener which might be employed in this position.

The fastener 9 is shaped in a manner suchas to produce two branches 11 and 12 which join in a relatively sharp bend 13 so as to form a. V-shaped body. At the opposite ends of these branches are outturned lugs 14 and 15, the former extending rearwardly when in the proper position, and the latter extending forwardly. Lug 14: is preferably shorter than lug 15.

The body of the lamp is prepared to receive the, fastener by providing an aperture 16 in the flange 17 thereof. The fastener is then pushed into the aperture in a position. such that theshort lug 14 extends to the rear while the longer lug extendsforwardly. On branch 12 a stab 18 is provided for engagement with the under surface of the flange 17 so that displacement of the fastener is prevented. The forward end of lug 15, may be turned downwardly as shown, in order to assist in the placing of the closure rim in position as well as to aid somewhat in preventing displacement of the fastener.

In securing the, closure rim in position the rear edge 19 thereof, which is turned over to form, as it were, an annular hook, is first brought into position by hooking the top of the rim over the lug 14. This is accomplished by hooking the rim in place while in a tilted position with the bottom away from the body. Then, the bottom of the rim is moved toward the lamp to closed position so that fastener 10 may be fastened. The operation which takes place during this movement of the rim is that of causing the top of the. rim to move forwardly as the glass 8 presses against the reflector. This forward movement of the top of the rim takes place against the tension exerted by the branchesll and 12 through lu'g 14 upon the hooked rear edge of the closure rim, and, in such a forward movement, both the branches 11 and 12 contribute to the movement as indicated in dotted lines.

It has been found that the movement of 1 lug 14:, as justdescribed, is in a straight line direction parallel with the axis of the lamp. This brings about ease of yielding movement of the closure rim in the fastening operation, because it eliminates binding of the rim at the bottom, such as I have found to exist in the form of fastener disclosed in the copending application to which reference has been made. In addition to this, distortion of the rim is avoided because it does not have to be forced into position by pulling upon or slightly bending it when passed over the bottom-of the front edge of the lamp body. For this reason closure glass breakage is frequently avoided.

An additional advantage worthy of consideration is the ease with which the fastener may be placed in position. Instead of having to press its ends together and then pass them through the body aperture from the inside of the lamp body before the reflector is mounted in position, as in the copending application construction, it is but necessary to press the fastener into position from the outside of the: body after complete assembly of the lamp has been made and not until it is time to place the closure upon the lamp. This operation requires but a fraction of the time, skill and strength necessary to assemble the fastener previously devised by me.

Further advantage, which is perhaps more important than any other advantage obtained by my improved closure fastener,

I lies in the fact that when tension is brought upon the fastener during the closure fastening operation, there is no tendency for the fastener to roll out of the opening which holds it, as in the U shaped type of fastener spring construction disclosed in my above mentioned copending application.

I claim:

1. In combination in an automobile lamp, a slotted body, a reflector located in the body, a lamp closure, and means adapted to secure the closure in closed position relatively to the body and reflector, said means consisting of a fastener element located at the top and a separate element located at the bottom of the lamp, one ofsaid fastener elements consisting of a substantially V-shaped spring member mounted in the slot in the body with the body of the spring extending to the interior of the lamp body and its ends lying outside the lamp body, and extending one to the rear for engagement with the closure, and one to the front for engagement with the body, the other fastening element having yielding action and adapted when moved to closure fastening position to cause forward movement of the rearwardly extending end, whereby forward tensioning movement of both branches of the V-shaped member will be brought about.

2. In combination in an automobile lamp, a slotted body, a reflector located in the body, a lamp closure, and means adapted to secure the closure in closed position relatively to the body and closure, said means consisting of a fastener element located at the top and a separate element located at the bottom of the lamp, one of said fastener elements consisting of a substantially V-sha-ped spring member mounted in the slot in the body, with the point of theV within the body and supported in the-slot by engagement of the ends of the V with the walls of the slot, said ends extending forwardly and backwardly respectively to prevent inward displacement of the spring, the backwardly extending end being adapted for attachment to the closure, whereby when the closure is moved to closed position the branches of the V will be moved toward each other" with the point of spring fiexure lying at the point of the V.

3. In combination in an automobile lamp,-

a slotted body, a reflector located in the body, a lamp closure, and means adapted tosecure the closure in closed position relatively to the body and reflector, said means consisting of a fastener element located at the top of the body and another fastener element located at the bottom of the body, one of said elements consisting of a substantially V-shaped spring having the ends thereof located in the body slot with the V-shaped major portion of the spring extending with in the lamp body, one of said ends extending beyond the slot outside the body and to the rear thereof for engagementwith the closure before the closure is moved to closed position, whereby upon movement to closed position the closure will bring the rearwardly extending end forwardly in the slot in a direction parallel to the axis of the lamp.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto aflixed my signature.

EUGENE A. KUEN. 

